MD Anderson Patient Travel Services: What They Help With and How to Use Them
MD Anderson travel services are run through the hospital's Patient Travel Services office, and they can help you book discounted, changeable airfare, get a rental car discount in Houston, and find lodging at hospital-negotiated rates. You can reach them by phone or email on weekdays, and they help patients and the caregivers traveling with them.
If you just got your first appointment date, that's probably the most useful thing to know right now. Travel is one of the few things you can actually plan for in the next few weeks. This guide explains what the office does and doesn't do, how to use it step by step, and how to plan around changing treatment dates.
What Is MD Anderson Patient Travel Services?
Patient Travel Services is an office inside MD Anderson that helps patients and caregivers coming to Houston handle the travel side of treatment. According to MD Anderson's Traveling to Houston page, the team has access to MD Anderson's negotiated discounts and rates for airlines, lodging, and ground transportation.
Think of it as a travel desk that understands medical travel. They know your return date might not exist yet, that a scan can push a surgery back a week, and that a caregiver usually needs to travel with you.
How to reach them: call 713-745-2300 or toll-free 888-848-9992, or email patienttravel@mdanderson.org. The office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central.
What MD Anderson Travel Services Can Help With
Discounted, changeable airfare
This is the service most families use first. MD Anderson says Patient Travel Services can book discounted, unrestricted, changeable fares and waive change fees on some restricted fares for travel from anywhere in the U.S. and most of the world.
One detail surprises people: you're asked to book a round-trip ticket even if you don't know when you're going home. The return date can be added or changed later without a penalty. MD Anderson currently lists a booking fee of $22 per ticket for up to two tickets, and no booking fee for additional tickets. Confirm that when you call, since fees can change.
Rental car discounts in Houston
Patients and travel companions can get discounted Enterprise rentals in Houston, booked through Patient Travel Services. If you're staying more than a week or two, a car can make grocery runs, pharmacy pickups, and early check-in times much less stressful, even though transit serves the Texas Medical Center well.
Lodging near MD Anderson with MedStays
Patient Travel Services can share MD Anderson’s negotiated hotel rates, and for a short consult trip, a hotel room may be all you need. Once treatment stretches into weeks, though, most families want more room than a hotel gives them. That’s where MedStays comes in.
MedStays offers fully furnished apartments across seven communities, all within about two miles of MD Anderson and the Texas Medical Center. Every stay is set up for patients and the people supporting them:
Room for a caregiver: 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments, so a spouse, parent, or adult child has their space to sleep and recharge.
Everything included: utilities, WiFi, and parking are included, so you don't have to set up separate bills from out of state.
Patient pricing: patients receive a discount, and rates stay the same year-round, even during Houston's busy seasons.
Flexible terms: if your treatment plan changes, you can extend your stay instead of moving to a new place.
You can compare locations on our MD Anderson patient housing page or see what’s included in every apartment.
What MD Anderson Travel Services Doesn't Cover
It helps to set the right expectations. Based on what MD Anderson publishes, Patient Travel Services is a booking and discount service. It isn't described as a program that pays for your flights or your housing.
If cost is the bigger worry, ask your care team early about social work and financial assistance resources, and check your insurance plan for any travel or lodging benefit. Our guides on whether insurance covers cancer treatment lodging and financial help for traveling caregivers are good places to start.
It also won't plan the day-to-day of your stay: where you'll cook, how a caregiver will rest, and how you'll get from your bed to a 7 a.m. lab appointment. That's the part the rest of this guide helps with.
How to Use MD Anderson Travel Services, Step by Step
Here's a simple order of operations that works for most first visits.
Get your first appointment confirmed. Travel services can work faster once you have a date and know which building you're going to.
Call or email Patient Travel Services. Have your appointment date, departure city, the names of everyone traveling, and a rough guess at how long you'll stay.
Book a round-trip flight with a placeholder return. Ask how changes work and what the booking fee is before you confirm.
Decide whether you need a car. If you do, ask Travel Services to book the Enterprise discount at the same time.
Sort out lodging for the first week, then the rest. First visits often run longer than one day. Our guide on how long MD Anderson patients usually stay in Houston breaks down typical timelines by treatment type.
Keep every confirmation in one place. A shared note or folder with flight, car, and lodging details saves a lot of back-and-forth when dates move.
If this is your first trip, our arrival guide for out-of-state MD Anderson patients covers what the first 48 hours in Houston tend to look like.
Planning Around Treatment Dates That Change
Almost every family we talk to says the same thing: the plan changed. A biopsy result takes longer, a surgery date moves, or a two-week visit turns into eight. That's exactly why changeable airfare matters and why lodging deserves the same flexibility.
When you compare places to stay, ask a few practical questions:
Can I extend week to week without rebooking or changing rooms?
Is there real space for a caregiver to sleep and decompress?
Is there a kitchen? Weeks of restaurant food get expensive, and treatment often changes what you can eat.
Is parking included, and how long is the drive or transit ride to my MD Anderson building?
Our Texas Medical Center transportation guide can help with that.
Where MedStays Fits In
MedStays offers fully furnished apartments within about two miles of MD Anderson, built for patients and caregivers who need more than a hotel room for a longer stay. Utilities, WiFi and parking are included; patients receive a discount, and stays are flexible, so if your treatment runs longer than planned, you can extend rather than start over.
Patient Travel Services can handle your flight and rental car. Once those are set, take a look at our MD Anderson patient housing options, or see what's included in every apartment. If someone is coming with you, our caregiver housing page explains how families share a stay.
MD Anderson Travel Services FAQs
Who can use MD Anderson Patient Travel Services?
MD Anderson says the service is for patients and their caregivers traveling to Houston for care. You don't need to be a long-term patient to call. Many families reach out as soon as they schedule their first appointment. International patients are usually directed to MD Anderson's International Center for travel planning, so mention where you're traveling from when you first contact them.
What is the phone number for MD Anderson travel services?
You can reach Patient Travel Services at 713-745-2300 or toll-free at 888-848-9992. You can also email patienttravel@mdanderson.org. The office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central. If you're calling about a flight, have your appointment date, departure city, and travelers' names ready so they can quote options on the first call.
Does MD Anderson pay for patient travel or lodging?
MD Anderson describes Patient Travel Services as a way to access discounted airline, lodging, and car rental rates, not as a program that pays for travel. Insurance, nonprofit programs, or financial assistance resources may help with costs. Ask your care team about social work support early, and check your plan documents for any travel or lodging benefit.
Why do I need a round-trip ticket if I don't know my return date?
MD Anderson's travel office asks patients to book round-trip, even without a return date, and says the return can be added or changed later without a penalty. Round-trip fares are often cheaper and easier to adjust than two one-way tickets. Confirm the change rules and current booking fee for your specific ticket before you pay.
Can Patient Travel Services book my hotel or apartment?
They can share MD Anderson's negotiated lodging rates and point you toward options like Rotary House and local hotels with medical rates. Rotary House takes new reservations by phone, and Joe's House offers lists you can search yourself. For a furnished apartment with MedStays, you book directly with our team through the Request Housing page or by phone.
How far ahead should I contact MD Anderson travel services?
As soon as your first appointment is confirmed. Booking earlier usually means more flight options and better odds of securing popular nearby lodging. If your appointment is only days away, call anyway. The office handles short-notice medical travel regularly, and changeable fares give you room to adjust if the schedule shifts after your first visit.
Ready to Plan Your Stay Near MD Anderson?
If you're a patient or family member preparing for treatment at MD Anderson, let us handle housing while Patient Travel Services handles flights. Request housing with your MD Anderson appointment or treatment start date, how long you expect to stay, how many people are traveling, and the apartment size you need. Our team will reply with available apartments near your MD Anderson building and what's included. Prefer to talk it through? Call us at 888-900-2559 or 713-298-3073.
